Pat Taaffe died aged only 62 in 1993 but will be long remembered for his Cheltenham Festival success over fences in the 1960s. Pat won 25 festival races in all with a remarkable 22 of those wins coming in Steeplechases.
We have lots of video of Pat Taaffe in action on our Cheltenham Videos section. His most remembered win was probably the first of the legendary Arkle’s Gold Cup wins in 1964 where the pair saw off Mill House :
Pat won another two Gold Cups on Arkle in 1965 and 1966, and added a fourth on Fort Leaney in 1968. He still holds the record for most wins the the RSA and Champion Chases with five in each. Taaffe was supplied with most of his winning horses by Tom Dreaper, amongst them three time festival winner Flying Bolt and dual winners Fortia and Ben Stack. Here are his 25 winners :
| Race | Year | Horse | Trainer |
| RSA Chase | 1953 | Coneyburrow | Joe Osbourne |
| County | 1953 | Teapot II | Clem Magnier |
| Cathcart | 1954 | Royal Approach | Tom Dreaper |
| Supreme Novices Div 1 | 1954 | Stroller | Vincent O’Brien |
| Festival Trophy | 1957 | Sentina | Tom Dreaper |
| RSA Chase | 1960 | Solfen | Willie O’Grady |
| Champion Chase | 1960 | Fortria | Tom Dreaper |
| Arkle | 1961 | Mountcashel King | Tom Dreaper |
| RSA Chase | 1961 | Grallagh Cnoc | Joe Osbourne |
| Champion Chase | 1961 | Fortria | Tom Dreaper |
| Arkle | 1963 | Ben Stack | Tom Dreaper |
| RSA Chase | 1963 | Arkle | Tom Dreaper |
| Champion Chase | 1964 | Ben Stack | Tom Dreaper |
| Gold Cup | 1964 | Arkle | Tom Dreaper |
| Supreme Novices Div 1 | 1964 | Flyingbolt | Tom Dreaper |
| Arkle | 1965 | Flyingbolt | Tom Dreaper |
| Gold Cup | 1965 | Arkle | Tom Dreaper |
| Festival Trophy | 1966 | Arkloin | Tom Dreaper |
| Champion Chase | 1966 | Flyingbolt | Tom Dreaper |
| Gold Cup | 1966 | Arkle | Tom Dreaper |
| Gold Cup | 1968 | Fort Leney | Tom Dreaper |
| Cathcart | 1968 | Muir | Tom Dreaper |
| RSA Chase | 1970 | Proud Tarquin | Tom Dreaper |
| Champion Chase | 1970 | Straight Fort | Tom Dreaper |
| Cathcart | 1970 | Garrynagree | Tom Dreaper |
